What is an ashram?

Ashram is a space of divine mystery that gives birth to sages.

Ashrams are very important for spiritual life in Sanatana Dharma, both in the Vedic and Tantric traditions. An ashram is a place where sadhu-swami, sannyasis, and brahmachari live, serving the Dharma and practice.

Devout householders and lay grihasthas come here for spiritual support. Vanaprasthas, householders who have retired from worldly affairs and who have decided to devote themselves to the spiritual search for God, like to settle near the ashram.

Ashram means “house of the Guru”; this is the place where the Guru stays or lives - a spiritual teacher or his experienced disciple, a monk-swami or a brahmachari, a karma-sannyasi, and where students are trained on satsangs, darshans (blessings) are given, dikshas - initiation.

Philosophical debates are held in ashrams, and sacred scriptures are studied and interpreted. In ashrams, everyone makes their own contribution to the service of Dharma (seva).

An ashram is a place where an altar is installed, the deities of the lineage, its relics and where mysteries and divine theurgies, invoking the blessings of deities and saints, are regularly held.

In ashrams, you will be offered prasad - exceptional food consecrated on the altar and offered to the deities that purify the mind and spirit. The joyful and clear sound of the bell, calling for the morning worship of the deities - arati or evening meditation - is a constant sound you can hear in the ashram.

An ashram is the center of the entire spiritual life of a Vedic or tantric community, where practices are held on special days and retreats. The ashrams offer yoga and meditation classes for spiritual seekers.

An ashram is a spiritual school, a place of tapas for sadhus, a meeting place for sadhus and sangha, a center for serving the Dharma, and a place where sacred sacraments and services are held.

An ashram is a place where pure and favorable spiritual energy accumulates, “charging” spiritual seekers. This is where ancient saints’ secret teachings are kept and inner alchemy secrets are passed on from teacher to student.

Ashrams are home to permanently renounced sadhu-sannyasis and those who, in the future, strive to become sannyasi-brahmachari. Lay spiritual seekers are drawn to ashrams; seekers come there to live - brahmacharis, karma-sannyasis (who have accepted the path of renunciation in the world). Sometimes ashrams are visited by spiritual seekers-sadhus or even saints, teachers of other ashrams, traditions and schools, and then after the traditional ritual of welcoming guests, offering garlands, and refreshments, a leisurely conversation is held about spiritual life, philosophy, saints, the destinies of the world and humanity. Sometimes, ashrams are visited in the subtle body by famous holy sages who lived in past eras, or even gods, to instruct through the subtle body or give darshan, their blessing.

In the ashram, the soul of the seeker-disciple undergoes essential lessons in the spiritual life of purity, faith, devotion, karma yoga, philosophy, concentration, meditation, service for the benefit of Dharma and humanity, renunciation of ego desires, pacification of the mind.

All those living in ashrams adhere to special rules of yama-niyama, taking into account differences in status and obligations (vrata) - some for their entire life and others only for the duration of their stay in the ashram.

Ashram, in pure vision, is a mandala of divine energies, “sanvit-devata-chakra”, from which future enlightened sages are born and raised. Ashram is “vidya” - the manifested body of your chosen deity, the parampara and sampradaya (tree of Refuge) saints, and the root Guru - mula-guru-acharya.

All sadhus living in the ashram and doing seva are servants of the Divine will, that will that enlightens and liberates souls lost in samsara from ignorance and suffering.

After all, the ashram is the embodied Anugraha itself - Divine Grace which gives freedom to the soul and takes the form of a place where the sangha gathers, where they live and serve the Dharma and their Guru sadhus. Anyone who follows the spiritual path should always rely on the ashram honor it as the manifested body of the chosen deity, and the ashram will bless him.

Those who strive for awakening, liberation from shackles and darkness, the witchcraft of Maya - create ashrams, support ashrams, serve Divine energies in ashrams, live and practice in ashrams for at least some time, and you will see the beneficial fruits of such a life.